Finn followed Katie home in his SUV, and whether she wanted to admit it or not, she appreciated having him watch her back.

Katie’s mind went into chaos mode on the way home. So many questions ran through her thoughts. Nathan hadn’t betrayed her or Malcolm really, and she could see that he’d regretted not mentioning Dicky’s situation to them right away. While that eased her mind a little, other thoughts derailed it. Anger boiled at Dicky’s father for getting his hooks into Dicky, and at Dicky for spreading lies and putting them all in danger. When she arrived at the pub, the cops had already gone. Finn got out of his vehicle and escorted her to the front door. Malcolm saw her coming and opened the front door for them. When he saw Finn, he frowned.

She hurried to introduce them, and when he heard the explanation, he drew them inside and promptly shook Finn’s hand.

“Pleased to meet you, sir,” Finn said.

Malcolm clapped one hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Any friend of Nathan’s is a friend of mine. And thank you for looking out for my niece.”

“With pleasure, sir. I told Nathan I’d go over the pub and make sure everything looks secure.”

Malcolm beamed. “Thank you. That would be great.”

“What do you do exactly?” she asked Finn out of curiosity.

“I run a personal security company. Finn Security. We work with high profile clients around Tampa and some government officials. I tried to get Nathan to sign on with my company when he left the SEALS.”

“Everyone seems to want him,” she said, thinking about The Omega Team.

And oh…there’s me, too. I want him.

Finn smiled, and his dark eyes sparkled. “I haven’t given up yet. I still think he’d be a great addition to our company. He seems to like the quiet life, though.”

The thought of losing Nathan to another job where he wouldn’t be near her…well, that caused a sting. She shrugged it off and cleared her throat.

“Thanks so much, Finn. I’m sorry you got roped into this favor,” she said.

“I wasn’t roped in. Nathan and I are like brothers. He’s done a lot of things for me, too. Not only that, he saved my life once.”

She knew there had to be a big story in there, but she also knew now wasn’t the time to explore it.

“Finn, I need to talk to my uncle in private for a moment,” she said.

“Of course. I’m going to check the other areas. I’ll be back in a moment.”

After Finn left, Malcolm took her hands and squeezed them. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I can’t believe this is happening. It’s crazy! The police just left. Are you okay? How’s Nathan?”

Her uncle’s rapid fire questions made her stomach tumble with nerves. She felt wrung out and used up.

“I’m fine. Nathan’s got a minor concussion and they’re keeping him for observation. Dicky was in surgery. They wouldn’t tell me anything else about Dicky. We need to contact his mother Chandra.”

Malcolm’s eyebrows went up. “He’s got family? He said he didn’t.”

She made a scoffing noise. “Well, he’s been lying to us.” She put one hand to her forehead in exasperation. “So has Nathan…by omission.”

Malcolm’s mouth fell open. “What?”

She gave him the lowdown on what she’d discovered while the detective had questioned them at the hospital. She also told him about the strange conversation she’d heard Dicky having in the kitchen on the cell phone.

“I don’t know what it was about, but it sounded suspicious to me,” she said.

Her uncle frowned and paced the floor. “That little shit. Who knows what he’s gotten us involved in? I blame myself for this.”

“Why?”

“I’m a good judge of character. I should’ve been able to see what was happening.”

“How could you have known?”

He sighed and sank into a chair at one of the tables. He ran a hand over his face and looked completely deflated.

“This is a mess.” He looked up at her in sudden urgency. “Wait. You didn’t think I’m involved with the mafia, do you?”

“No, no. But it sounds like Dicky involved us indirectly. How could he do that? You offered him a job when he was down and out. Why would he implicate us in something like this?”

Malcolm’s expression went from dumbfounded to angry. “He’s obviously not as nice a kid, as honest a kid, as I thought he was.”

“True. Then there’s Nathan. He didn’t tell us what Gray from The Omega Team said.”

Her uncle sighed. “There’s that. But I don’t blame Nathan. He was checking out the lay of the land and things caught up with him before he could take action. You’ve always leaned toward…” He faded off, doubt in his eyes.

“Toward?”

“You’ve always held people to a very high standard. After Tate cheated on you.”

She wished he hadn’t brought that up. “So you think that Nathan lying by omission is excused because I have high standards?”

“No. I think you beat yourself up for making mistakes and you beat everyone else up for it, too. I’m suggesting you give both Nathan and yourself a little slack. You’re doing the best you can. Learning as you go along.” He smiled. “Ask yourself if you think Nathan’s a good guy. Ask yourself if his mistake is worth throwing away everything else you know about him.”

That hit her hard. “I don’t know. I know I’m not perfect but…”

“Just think about it. Go upstairs and get some sleep.”

“First I need to call Gray and tell him about Nathan and get information to Dicky’s mother.”

“Right. I’d better call your parents.”

She winced. “That will only worry them.”

“Now who wants to keep things from people?”

She put her hands up. “You’re right, you’re right. Okay, call them.”

After she went upstairs, she quickly put a call into Gray. He answered on the third ring. When she told him what had happened, his concern for everyone showed.

“Thank you for calling and letting us know,” he said. “I’ll get in touch with Chandra right away. She’ll probably want to fly out to see her son as soon as possible.”

“Good.”

A very slight pause and Gray said, “Dicky’s a chronic liar. Has been all his life according to his mother. He proved it again by lying to his mother about you and Malcolm. There’s a good chance Dicky said he’d help his father or join up with his father and when Dicky changed his mind, his father ordered some henchmen to take out his own son.”

Nervousness made her stomach roil. “Oh, my God. I hadn’t really thought of it like that. Are you sure? I mean, couldn’t the henchmen have just taken this into their own hands?”

“Anything’s possible. Maybe the slight from you and Nathan was enough to set them off. Hard to know with people like this. Now you know what you’re up against. I’m going to call Nathan as soon as possible and set up a real protection detail for you and Malcolm.”

She closed her eyes. “Oh, that’s not…I mean, my uncle and I can’t afford a security guard. We already have a great security system on the building.”

“There’s no cost to another team member if they need help and protection. Nathan is down and out right now, and if he asks for help we’ll send another Omega Team member in.”

“Thank you. That’s incredibly generous. He already called his friend Henry Finn.”

“Henry Finn from Finn Security?”

“That’s the one.”

“I don’t know him personally, but his company has a top notch reputation. They’re in several states and have quite a few people working for them. Now before we hang up, I have some questions for you.”

She tensed a little. “About?”

“Did Nathan tell you what was going on right away? I mean about the suspicions against you and your uncle.”

“No. Unfortunately.”

“I thought so.”

“Does that change your opinion of him?” she asked.

“No. He was assessing the situation before he did or said anything. Observing. He’s had a few things happen in his life that have made him suspicious of other people. He believes impulsiveness gets a lot of people in trouble. He takes everything in, then makes a decision.”

Boom. Wasn’t that interesting? Nathan had experienced betrayals. Just as she had.

Except for that kiss. Had he thought about that over and over? Or had her actions pushed him over the edge?

“I thought Navy SEALS had to make split second decisions sometimes,” she said.

“Who doesn’t? He’s seen a lot of things in his military career screwed up because people let egos and impulsiveness get in the way. It makes him cautious. Believe me, though, he defended the hell out of you and Malcolm when I told him what Dicky said. He didn’t believe a word against you.”

“Thank you for telling me all this.”

Gray chuckled. “Well, he might not thank me once he hears that I told you all of that.”

“I’ll bet. Thanks again Gray.”

“Anytime. Call again if you need us.”

After they hung up, she changed into pajamas and crawled into bed. It would be light soon and she needed at least a few hours of sleep. After that she would go back to the hospital and see Nathan and check on Dicky.

Just as she started to fall into an exhausted sleep, her cell phone rang. She groaned but rolled over and picked it up. Nathan. She’d forgotten to text him.

“Nathan,” she said. “I’m sorry I forgot to text you.”

“I got the busy signal so I wasn’t too worried. Then I called Finn and he assured me you were safe in your apartment.”

The fact he’d checked up on her so thoroughly…well, it was a turn on. She didn’t want it to be. She’d tried and failed to find a really good reason in the last few hours why she shouldn’t be so damned attracted to him. Why she shouldn’t already care about him so much.

She sighed. “Sorry but it’s been a hell of a night.”

“I know.”

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Can’t really sleep, but then the nurses keep coming in and checking on me.”

She smiled. “They probably heard there’s a hunk on the floor and want to see for themselves.”

He laughed. “You think I’m a hunk?”

Her face heated. She’d stepped right into that one. “You caught me.”

He laughed again. “So maybe you’re not as mad at me as I thought.”

“No, I’m not. I talked to Gray. He pumped you up as well. Told me what an amazing man you are and that…”

“That?”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. You need to rest.”

“Right. You’ll owe me an explanation later.”

“I’ll come by in about four hours and if they’re ready to discharge you, I can bring you home.”

“Deal. Sleep well, beautiful.”

After they hung up, she relaxed completely and fell asleep with his deep, husky voice in her head calling her beautiful. A man had never called her beautiful before.

* * *

A cop car with two patrol officers was parked in front of the pub when Katie and Nathan arrived at the pub. Finn had followed behind Katie and Nathan in his SUV. When they got inside, Finn took off.

“I wonder if the cops are here to keep us safe or arrest someone,” Katie said with more than a hint of derision in her voice.

“Probably the former.” Nathan doubted the cops believed anymore that Malcolm and Katie had ties to the Irish Mafia.

Nathan groaned as his muscles protested. He didn’t have a headache and other than the small bandage on his head, he didn’t have much of a deficit in his physical fitness. If he hadn’t dodged when the bullets flew, he probably wouldn’t be here right now. As it was, he wanted nothing more than to be with Katie. Apologize thoroughly, then kiss her soundly.

Yeah, dude. Sounds like a great fantasy. Reality? Not likely.

What were the chances she’d kiss him again?

Katie had looked exhausted when he first saw her at the hospital. She’d twenty questioned him as he’d been discharged, and she’d twenty questioned the nurse while he signed the release paperwork. Downstairs they’d checked on Dicky and learned he’d survived surgery but was hanging by a thread with severe internal injuries. The doctors had done all they could at this point. Dicky wasn’t allowed any visitors.

As they left the hospital, Katie had wiped her eyes.

“Hey, you all right?” he’d asked.

“I just hate this for Dicky. God, what a mess.”

“I’m having some trouble feeling bad for him. He’s brought trouble to the pub and to you and Malcolm.”

“I know.”

She still looked tired. He’d wanted to hug her right then, to reassure her everything would be all right. Would it? He didn’t know. When they drove away from the hospital, he reflected on how grateful he was to have her beside him. She might not realize it, but she had more nurse left in her. The way she’d fussed over him might’ve been her nursing, or she might really care.

You’re a goner, man. You’ve never wanted a woman to feel concern for you before.

Well, he could qualify that. He knew his mother loved and cared for him, but Nathan had never yearned for a woman he’d dated to be concerned with his well-being. Now he’d gotten a taste of it from Katie, he felt addicted. Not just any woman would do. Just this beautiful, vibrant, stubborn, outgoing woman beside him. If he revealed his feelings, he knew she might reject him. He decided that after everything that had happened at the pub recently, he’d take the chance. He’d let her in, and he’d tell her what he thought about their relationship.

“Hey are you daydreaming?” Katie asked as she got out of the car.

“Yeah, but I shouldn’t be. We can’t let our guard down.”

He hadn’t either. He’d gone full SEAL when they’d left the hospital. He had a handgun in the apartment, but he hadn’t maintained it like he should. He hadn’t gone to the range in months either.

He walked with her toward the back of the building, his heart beating a little fast as he kept an eye out for anything suspicious.

Once they entered, Malcolm greeted them as he came from the kitchen. “Hey there, am I glad to see you two. How are you feeling Nathan?”

“I’m good.”

Malcolm looked pleased. “Good. Scared me last night. I’m too old for this shit.”

Nathan smiled. “I might be, too.”

Malcolm snorted. “Right. I just got a call from Chandra Henderson. Your friend Gray gave her the number here. She doesn’t have the funds to fly in to Tampa, so Gray is paying for her ticket. The only flight she could get comes in tomorrow afternoon.”

“I wish Dicky had family here already,” Katie said. “He’s in that hospital with no one to look out for him.”

“There’s a cop posted on his door. Unless the Irish Mafia is ballsy enough to come into the hospital and try and kill him, he should be safe,” Nathan said. “And I’ll admit I don’t have a lot of sympathy for him right now. His actions put all our lives in danger.”

To his surprise, Katie pressed his shoulder. “I know. You’re right. That’s the nurse in me coming out again.”

Malcolm leaned against the door jam to the kitchen. “Dicky is going to prison if he survives, that I’m sure of. It’s a damned shame he couldn’t take the straight path. In the meantime, I’m keeping the pub closed until further notice. Until this whole crazy thing is sorted out.”

“Good idea. I was going to ask if you’d consider that idea,” Nathan said.

Katie followed Nathan upstairs, and when they got to her door, she said, “Come inside and talk for a minute.”

He hesitated only for a moment. “About?”

“Just come inside,” she said.

He rubbed one hand over his bristly chin. “Can I get a shower first? I’ll be over right after that.”

Once inside his new apartment, he hurried through a shower. It felt good to somehow wash the hospital off of him. He changed the bandage on his head, even though the wound was so small. He knew nurse Katie would give him hell, so he made sure to anchor the bandage securely. Anticipation filled him as he went to her apartment door.

* * *

Katie considered her reasons for inviting him to her apartment. While the doctors had cleared him, part of her worried that if she didn’t watch over him something bad could happen. Paranoid, yes. But there it was.

When she opened the door to him, she smiled. He looked so good. He wore a fresh white t-shirt that molded to his body just enough to hint at the amazing physique she already knew he possessed. His dark hair was slicked back a little, still damp. He smelled like heaven. Her t-shirt and capri pants matched him for casual, including the athletic shoes she wore. She wasn’t into being a fashion plate these days, not that she ever had been.

“Hey,” she said as she allowed him inside.

Out of habit, she locked the door.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” she asked.

“I’m good.”

He followed her to the kitchen, leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. She grabbed a water from the fridge. When she turned around, he was closer than she expected.

“Why am I here?” he asked.

The question took her off guard. “I…okay, I’ll give you the truth.”

“Good.”

“I was…I’m still concerned about your health.”

He uncrossed his arms and sauntered toward her. She watched until he was close, then she twisted the top off of her water bottle to avoid looking at him. She took a swig of water and then set the bottle on the counter behind her.

“And,” she said, well aware her next words made her vulnerable as hell. “Because I don’t want to be alone. I’m scared, Nathan.”

“Hey.” His voice came to her soft and deep. “I’m not going to let anything hurt you.”

He cupped her shoulders, and then slid his arms around her shoulders. She encircled his waist and held on. “You can’t promise that. No one can.”

“Okay, then let me put it this way. I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

It felt good. Really, really good to have his strong support surrounding her in comfort, to soak in his power and the safety she felt soul-deep every time he came near. She rested there, taking it in. She drew back and out of his arms and grabbed her water bottle. If she didn’t, she’d want to stay in his embrace forever.

“Come on, let’s sit down,” she said.

They moved to the couch. She abandoned her water bottle to the coffee table. Instead of him sitting at the other end far away, he took the cushion to her right. He laid his arm on the couch behind her. As his thigh touched hers, a zing of pure sexual awareness threatened to keep her from thinking straight. Man, this guy is potent. She almost slid down and found a place to lay her head on his big shoulder.

She plunged right in. “Gray told me that you beat yourself up over things. When things don’t go perfectly you get angry with yourself.”

He grunted, and she looked up at him. “Yeah, I suppose he’s right.”

“And that you’ve had situations in your military career where people fouled up and it causes problems.”

“Who doesn’t have that in their job?”

He stayed quiet so long she wondered if she’d probed too deeply.

“You were a sniper, right?”

He stared into space. “Yes.”

She didn’t know how to ask the question she had to ask. So she just said it anyway. “How many men did you kill?”

He didn’t look at her. He stood and went to the fireplace.

Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.

He stared at the huge landscape portrait that hung over the fireplace mantle. “A few. Under ten.”

Oh God. That was still…

Feeling the weight of what he’d told her, she left the couch and went to him.

When she didn’t speak, he turned to her. “Lot of other things I can’t tell you. Not because I don’t want to, but I can’t.”

She slipped one hand over his shoulder in a caress. “I know.”

He smiled, just for a second. “You already know what my favorite foods are, that we like the same books and movies but aren’t hundred percent aligned on politics. I know you’re a light sleeper, that you prefer peaches to pears and that you don’t like tomatoes much, which I think is a damn shame. I know you love old eighties music more than modern music. I know you don’t like to cook that much and I do.”

She did know all those things—she’d learned them over the months he’d worked here. That he remembered all these little details sent a new, warm tingle through her body and settled in her lower stomach.

“There is something I don’t know,” she said, keeping her hand on his shoulder.

“Oh, yeah?”

Go ahead. Ask him.

“Why did you kiss me?”